Air conditioning system



Feb. 14, 1939. R, s. KOPP AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM loriginal Filed 'April 9, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P v P O K n s m T o WR T M om# RV. B

Feb.'14, 1939. R. s. KOPP AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM `Original Filed April 9, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ROGER S. KOPP SLB A," mr.

ATTORNEY named Feb. 14, i939 UNITED STATES y Re.

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Roger S. Kopp, York, Pa.,

I Original No. 2,115,226, dated April 26, 19,38, Serial No. 73,462, April 9, 1936. Application fox-.reissue November 1, 1938, Serial No. 238,239

8 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to air conditioning systems, and more particularly to such systems and apparatus which may be installed in transport vehicles, such as automobiles, busses, trucks, railroad cars, airplanes and the like. Howevery/fthe invention may also be used for air conditioning any limited space within its capacity such as rooms of buildings, etc.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved air conditioning system of the absorption type. in which means are provided for positively circulating air within the area to be conditioned at variable velocities.

Another object oi the invention is to provide an improved air conditioning system-of the above type, in which the air is dehumidiiied by means of a rotatably mounted wheel of suitable anhydrous material.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air conditioning system of the above type' with means for cooling the conditioned air.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air conditioning system of the above type with means for heating the conditioned air.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved air .conditioning system of the above type, in which the wheel of anhydrous material is caused to rotate only by means of moisture which is absorbed by a portion of the wheel at the point which unbalances the wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved air conditioning system of the character mentioned which is simple in construction and reliable and exact in function under all con ditions of service.

The invention also comprises certain new and useful improvements in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of 'which it is composed, asl will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, partly in section, of an air conditioning system embodying the present invention; A

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking at one end of the apparatus; and

. Figs. 3 and are detail sections showing modifled forms of the wheel used for dehumidifying theair.

Referring to'the drawings, and especially to Fig. 1, the improved air conditioning system comprises a disk or wheel II, formed of suitable absorbing material such for instance as diatomaceous earth.' The nature of which material is its insolubility in water, but adaptability to absorb several times its own weight of moisture without becoming fluid.

The wheel or disk I I is 'performed` as at I2. The said perforations I2 may. -as shown in Fig.

1, be formed parallel to the axis of the wheel, o r if so desired, said perforations may, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, extend through the wheel at an angle to the axis thereof, for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

Extending through .the wheel II, is a shaft I3. The ends of the shafts I2 are journalled in bearings I4, carried by a suitable casing I5.

The casing I5 conforms generally to the body of the wheel II, and entirely encloses the same for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

One wall of the casing I5 is formed with an opening I6, andat a diametric point the opposite Wall of said casing is formed with an opening I'I. The openings I6 and I'I are disposed, as shown in Fig. 2, at a point above theihorizontal axis of the wheel II for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

Connected to the opening I6 is one end of a conduit I8` of a blower Ior fan -I9. The blower or fan I9 is driven by an electric motor 20.

Also driven by the motor 20 is a second blower or fan 2l which is disposed' on the opposite side therein for cleaning the air drawn from the com-A partment or chamber by the blower or fan I9.

The blower or fan 2| has a casing 21 which is connected at one end to the casing I5 of the Wheel II by a conduit 28.

Directly below the axis of the wheel II the outer wall of the wheel casing I5 is formed with an opening 29 which is, as shown in Fig. 2. greater in area than the opening I'I hereto-fore referred to, and said opening 29 is located in the outside Wall of the casing I5 at a point opposite to the connection of the conduit 28 with the wall of the casing on the inner 'side of the wheel II,

the inner end of the conduit 28 conforming in shape and area substantially to the opening 29 shown in Fig. 2.

The casing 2'I of blow or fan. 2`I is formed with an inlet opening 30. Connected to the inlet opening 30 is a conduit 3l having a, lter 32 mounted therein as shown in Fig. 1'.

Preferably the conduit 3l leads from a source `of heat which may, in the present instance, be a pipe 33, said conduit encircling the pipe 33 as shown.

ConduitSI is connected to conduit 2li, heretofore referred to, by a conduit 34. At the point Where conduit 34 is joned to conduit 3i there is a damper or valve device35, which is adapted to divert'air owing through conduit 3i into conwall of the chamberor compartment.

conducted" to, the blower or fan I9, for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

Leading from opening I1 in the wheel casing I5 is a conduit 35 which extends through the The conduit 36 terminates a suitable distance 'inside of the chamber or compartment, and if so desired has mounted therein a receptacle 31 for a suitable cooling agent or cooling material.

In operation, through the action of motor 20 theblowers orfansA I9 and 2| are rotated at a suitable speed. Through the operation of blower |9'air to be conditioned is withdrawn from the chamber or compartment through the conduit 2| and forced through the perforations I2 in the wheel II. The air is then returned to the chamber or compartment by conduit `36 leading from the outer side of the Wheel casing I5.

The perforations I2 through the wheel II are so arranged as to present the greatest surface area' to the wiping action of the air passing through the wheel to thereby extract moisture from the air as delivered by the fan I3 at the opening IE in the casing I5 of the wheel;

In some cases it may be desirable to construct the wheel with the perforations I2 extending through said wheel at an angle to the rotating axis thereof, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In this way a greater surface area is presented to the wiping action of the air which passes through the wheel, with the result that the rotary movement of the wheel will be accelerated.

The weight of the added moisture to the portion of the wheel I I as the air passes through the wheel from opening I6 to opening I1, acts as a counterweight and causes the wheel to rotate in a clockwise direction, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 2.

. The blower or Ian 2| delivers hot air to the wheel II through conduit 28 which is located at the bottom of the housing I5 as has been heretofore described. The hot air, in passing through themoisture wet wheel II, evaporates the moisture absorbed by saidwheel and dries the wheel. This removal of moisture, in turn, lightens the lowermost area of the wheel between the point at which the conduit 23 is connected to the wheel casing I5 and the opening 29, and thereby permits the accumulated moisture in the portion of the wheel between the openings I6 and I1 to exert an overbalancing effect upon the wheel II and thereby cause said wheel to rotate.

The portion of the wheel II from the opening 23 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2) to the opening,|1 is the dryest portion of the wheel and consequently the lighter part, while the portion or area of the wheel from the opening I1 to the opening 29 is the area or portion containing the greatest amount of moisture and consequently this part of the wheel II ,has an overbalancing effect thereon. And in order that the air to be dehumidifiedl will pass through the wheeel II, the casing I5 should be so formed as to enclose the wheel as closely as possible, there being only suilicient clearance between the casing and the wheel to permit free unrestricted rotation of the wheel in the casing.

This continuous cycle of operation constantly causes the dry area of the wheel to move past the air stream entering the wheel through the opening I6 and at the same time the drying action of theheat being supplied at the bottom of the wheel through the action of blower 2| is continued. This is a new principle of inherent i duit 3 4, so that heated air in conduit 3| will be automatic action instead `of applied control or action which would be produced by positively ro.- tating the wheel I I by mechanical means, such as a motor or the like.

In the above description of the operation of the device, it was assumed that the by-pass damper 351s` in position to cut off communication between conduits 3| and 34. The purpose of the damper is to control the amount of heat iiowing through the conduit 3l so that during cold weather heated air can be directed through conduit 34 to conduit 24 and, through the action of blower I9, be forced into the chamber or compartment behind the wall 25 so that said chamber or compartment will be heated by the conditioned air.

On the otherhand, if it is desired to cool the air delivered to the chamber 'or compartment by conduit 36, said conduit may have means mounted therein at the point 31 for chilling the air entering the chamber or compartment. Such air chilling means may be in the form of a block of carbon dioxide, or any other' suitable material which will lower the temperature of the conditioned air. g 1

The above air conditioning system has been particularly designed for use in automobiles, busses, trucks and other transport vehicles, and when so used the apparatus can be mounted on the motor side of the dash board vof a vehicle, that is to say, under the hood of a vehicle. In this case, the ywall 25 constitutes the dash board of the vehicle and the4 conduits 24 and 36 terstrument board and the dash board as will be understood.

The cycle which has been herein shown is primarily that cycle which-is known as the cooling cycle. For winter or cold weather use, it is desirable, usually, to add moisture to the air, thereby increasing its relative humidity to a balanced condition compatible with the temperature differential between the outside air and the heated conditioned air. In consequence of which I propose to subject the disk or wheel I I to a spray, 'or drip of water directly over the opening I1, so that the wheel will be sufficiently wet that the heated air passing throughthe wheel` in circulation will absorb moisture from the wheel instead of the wheel absorbing moisture from the heated air.

`The periphery of the casing I5 between the openings 29 and I1, in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2), is subjected to a current of air tc dispel by convection the heat which the wheel I I may have absorbed between the points 28 and '29 in the drying cycle.

Since the device is very compactand .light in weight it can be cheaply manufactured and can be easily adapted for the above purpose to pro-v On Ythe other hand, larger devices can be con- I structed for installation on railroad cars or in rooms of buildings. However, the primary purpose of the invention is to provide an inexpensive air conditioning system for motor vehicles, which can be used throughout the entire year to supply .conditioned air, that is, heated and humidied or dehumidified air in cold weather, and chilled or cooled dehumidied air in extremely hot weather, to the interior of the body of a vehicle.

Changes may be made in the details of construction and inthe arrangement of the parts above described within certain limits without departing from the spirit'of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claims is:

l. Air conditioning apparatus of the type described comprising a rotary absorber wheel, a casing enclosing said wheel, openings formed in the wheel casing on opposite sides thereof, said openings being located at a point above'and oiset to the axis of said wheel, a blower having a conduit for conducting air to be conditioned to said wheel casing, said blower conduit being connected to` one of said openings on one side of said casing, a conduit connected to the other opening for conducting conditioned air away from the apparatus, a second blower, a conduit leading from a source of heat to said second blower, a conduit connecting said heat conduit with the conduit conducting air to be conditioned to said first blower, means for controlling the amount of heated air admitted to said connecting conduit, a conduit connecting said second blower with said wheel casing at a point spaced from said first named openings, an opening formed in the wall of said wheel casing opposite to the point of attachment of said second blower conduit for discharging-the air delivered to said wheel casing by said second blower, and a single means for simultaneously operating both of said blowers.

2. An air dehumidifying apparatus comprising a perforated wheel composed 'of anhydrous material, a casing .enclosing said wheel, means for freely mounting said wheel for rotation in said casing, means for passing air to bedehumidiiied through a restricted portion of said wheel above the axis of the wheel, and means for passing a current of heated air through a portion of said wheel offset with respect to said ilrst named portion and located below the axis of the wheel to remove the moisture from the wheel and lightenzal restricted portion of the wheel, so that said wheel is rotated by the downward motion imparted by the overweighted saturated portion of the wheel. i

3. Continuous absorption apparatus comprising a freely rotatably mounted perforated wheel formed of anhydrous material, a casing enclosing said wheel, means for passing humid air through a restricted portion of the wheel at a point above the axis of the wheel, and means for removing moisture from the wheel at a point below the axis o! said wheel, whereby the saturated portion of the wheel overbalances the dewateredv portion thereof, thereby permitting the weightedl portion of the wheel to move downwardly and eilect vautomatic rotation of the wheel.

4. An air dehumidifying apparatus comprising a wheel formed of anhydrous materiaLimeans for rotatably supporting saidwheel whereby the same is free to rotate when it is overbalanced, means for passing air to be dehumidiiied through a restricted portion of' the wheel above the center thereof whereby a limited area of said wheel is saturated with moisture, and means ,for passing a current of heated air through a-restricted portion of the Wheel below the center 'of said wheel so as to removel moisture from the lower portion of the wheel and permit the saturated portion above thecenter of the wheel to overbalance the dewatered portion below the center y wheel.

.of the Wheel and thereby 'cause said wheel tov rotate.

5. Air conditioning apparatus of the type described comprising an absorber wheel adapted to rotate solely by gravity, a casing enclosing said wheel and constituting means for freelyrotat.-

ably supporting said wheel, a pair of. alined` openings formed in said casing at a point offset 'with and above the axis of rotation of said wheel,

a blower having a conduit for conducting moisture-laden air to be conditioned to said wheel, said blower conduit being connected to the opening on one side of said casing whereby moisture-laden air is delivered to said wheel, a conduit connected to the opening on the opposite` side of said casing for conducting dewatered air away from the apparatus, a second pair of alined openings formed in said casing at a point below the axis of rotation of said wheel, a second blower, a conduit leading from a source of heat to said second, blower, and a' conduit connecting said second blower with the lower opening on one side of the 'casing for conducting heated air to said wheel for the purpose of unwatering said wheel whereby the lower vsector of the wheel is lightened to permit the wheel to rotate by gravity under the downward forces exerted by the ,upper saturated portion of the 6. An air dehumidifying apparatus comprising a wheel formed of moisture absorbing material, a casing enclosing said wheel, means for freely mounting said wheel for rotation in said casing, means for passing air to be dehumidied through a restricted portion of said wheel above the axis of the wheel, and means for passing another current of air through a portion of said wheel offset with respect to said first-named portion and located below the axis of the wheel to remove moisture from the wheel and lighten a restricted portion of the wheel, so that said wheel is rotated by the downward motion irnparted by the overweighted saturated portion of the wheel.

7. An air dehumidifying apparatus comprising a wheel composed of anhydrous material, a casing enclosing said wheel, means for freely mounting said wheel for rotation in said casing. means for passing air to be dehumidifled through a restricted portion of said wheel at one side of a vertical plane intersecting the axis of the wheel, and meansl for passing a current'of heated air through a portion of said wheel spaced below said rst-named'portion and located on the same side of said vertical plane to remove the moisture from the wheel and lighten a restricted portion of the wheel, so that said wheel is rotated by the downward motion imparted by the overweighted saturated portion of the wheel.

8. An air dehumidifying apparatus comprising a wheel formed of moisture absorbing material, a casing enclosing said wheel, means for freely es p mounting said wheel for rotation in said cas- 

